In the Land of Winter
by whatsamatta
Summary: The joy that winter brings to me amounts to nothing, I am lonely. And my power over frost doesn't change that I am lost.
1. Prologue

_**Disclaimer: Yup, I'm back to Hey! Arnold for this story, but don't think I'm no longer a fandom-whore. I'm working on making my rounds. Hey! Arnold and certain fables and folklore do not belong to me, but this idea does. Read, Review, and Spread the word.**_

HA

She was magnificent. A beautiful vision of blonde hair and blue eyes, slender frame and soft nature. She was his everything. His peace, his salvation, his chance at love and humanity. He had saved her multiple times, and so it would be she that would save him for once. She would fall in love with him completely, as himself and as his human counterpart Jack Snip the tailor.

In his quest for her hand in marriage he endured battles with iron warriors and being kidnapped. He gave up his humanity in order to save her from the oppressor, Kubla Kraus, to save her and all the others of the long ago placed named January Junction. When all was said and done, and he was allowed to become human again to win her hand, he learned that she was marrying some knight named Raveneau. She loved her knight in golden armor, not him, the breath of winter. But he certainly loved her.

Elisa.

The beautiful maiden he gave up and challenged everything for, and still lost. And yet, through it all, he still loved her, and proved it by giving her away with the gift of frost-covered roses. He would always love her. In his affectation, he watched over her and the family she started, his devotion to her urging him to guard forever. It was easy for awhile, but then the world got bigger than January Junction, and his duties increased.

He lost them, too, Elisa's descendants, lost them in the passage of time, and apart from his winter spirit friends, he had become terribly lonely. Jack Frost was lonely. And he thought he would be lonely forever, that is, until he found Elisa again.

In Hillwood City.

HA


	2. The First Appearances

_**Disclaimer: Hey! Arnold and included folklore do not belong to me. I know some of you are probably pissed at me for the brevity of that last chapter, but it was a mood-setting prologue, so you can just suck it (this one is rather short and sweet and to the point as well). And let's see if you can guess where this is going. Read, Review, and Spread the word.**_

HA

The crisp autumn air chilled her lungs, even as she exhaled a breath of fog. Wrapping her scarf just that much tighter around her neck and zipping up her brown jacket, Helga Pataki readied herself for her date. She straightened her hat, and opened the door to her apartment, smiling as her date – seconds late as usual – came bounding out dangerously clumsy.

"Hey handsome, ready for out date?" she asked, bending over to attach his leash. Benny barked in reply as Helga scratched his head. She had the feeling of being watched, but ignored it in favor of running after Benny, who took off down the street with her arm still in the wrist hold of the leash. Laughing, she followed the energetic Irish Wolf Hound, finally getting him to slow down and enjoy the walk five blocks away.

Waving at friends and adults she had known all her life, Helga directed Benny towards the park, and he was all the more excited for it. A cold wind nipped her cheeks, and she used her free hand to rub her nose. It was chilled, and probably red as a cherry.

"Jack Frost, nipping at my nose." She whispered softly, and Benny stopped to look at her and wag his tail. His barked echoed through the deserted park, and Helga was amazed to see a frost spread across the grass, and soft snowflakes drift from the heavens. Icicles formed on the branches almost instantly, she swore she could hear laughter. Snow! In the middle of October.

"Jack, what are you up to now?" she wondered lightly as she and Benny made their rounds, and Benny ran about excitedly, nearly pulling her arm out of her socket.

"Elisa." an airy voice called out, masked expertly by the rustling of the leaves. Helga stopped dead in her tracks, straining her ears to see if she could hear it again.

"Elisa." The voice called out, stronger, and Helga was surprised to see the snowfall increase. Something within told her the voice was addressing her, and she needed to correct it.

"It's Helga. Come on Benny, I'm gettin' cold!" she called, and tugged Benny's leash towards the apartment. He fought her for a moment, before submitting, and Helga trudged homeward. Turning around fully, Helga screeched when she came face to face with a semi-transparent winter sprite she instantly recognized as Jack Frost.

*

He had been watching her since the turn from Summer to Autumn, when frost is allowed to grace the ground. It was Elisa, _she_, was Elisa. That same blonde hair, those same blue eyes, there could be no doubt that she was the same as his love from that once upon a time place of January Junction.

He had been leaving her presents, frost-covered roses and small icicles around the apartment he had tracked her to. She seemed to like them, and knew that they were from him for she always called out his name softly, and would smile. Much like how Elisa would.

Of course he knew that this woman and Elisa were two different people, but the resemblance was so uncanny, that he couldn't manage to keep them separate in his mind. when she left the apartment with her dog on that day in mid October, he suspended his duties in favor of following her. Holly, Snips, even Father Winter will probably be disappointed with him, but he's been in love with her for so long, and now he was so close to her.

He just had to give her a show, to impress her. He pinched her cheeks and kissed her nose, danced about the grass to lay the frost. He hung the icicles, and issued the snow to fall. As he watched her eyes glitter, those blue eyes dazzle in the same way all those years ago, he couldn't hold it in any longer.

"Elisa." Her name just slipped from his lips, and the pretty blonde froze, looking around in confusion. The park was empty save for the two of them, but she didn't know that. Yet, she had heard him, hadn't she?

"Elisa." He tried again, emphasizing the name with more snow, and with amazement he watched as she turned towards him blindly.

"It's Helga. Come on Benny, I'm gettin' cold!" Helga ushered, and Jack knew he needed to make actually contact. Summoning all the powers of winter that surrounded him, leaving the metaphysical in hopes of making this young woman's acquaintance. He had just become whole when she turned around, nearly running into him. He smiled charmingly.

She screamed.

At least he didn't nearly break a bone this time.

HA


	3. Frozen Flowers

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Hey! Arnold. I do not own Jack Frost. I own the plotline, though. Read, Review, and Spread the word.**_

HA

Helga found herself flat on her ass in the snow, with Benny creating knots in the leash around her, and Jack Frost watching her with an impish smile. He bent over and offered her a hand, which she accepted with cautious reserve. When their hands met, Helga could feel a tingle of both pleasure and chill wrap around her wrist, up her arm, and all around her body. He hauled her to her feet, and she fought to find her voice that had frozen in her throat.

"You're, you're Jack Frost." She finally stuttered out, and his smile grew even more impish.

"Yes I am."

"But you can't be real! You're just the personification of winter weather! You're not real." She insisted, removing her hand from his icy grip. Jack smiled, picked up a handful of snow, and began crafting it into what looked to Helga like flowers.

"I know you don't believe me, but I want to prove myself to you. I would like for you to take these as a gift of my intentions, Elis – Helga." He admitted, and blew his frosty breath on the snow, transforming them into solid ice and handing them over. Helga accepted them, and was amazed to find that they weren't melting with the heat of her hands.

"What _are_ your intentions?" she asked, and Jack only winked at her, before spinning around three times, and disappearing in a whirl of snow. Benny barked at the empty space before looking up at Helga and wagging his tail. Dazed, Helga tugged the leash and led Benny back to the apartment, cold and questioning her sanity.

The snow was already piled several inches high on fences and showing no signs of slowing. In the middle of October, it was enough to freak out meteorologists, teachers, and parents abound. Kids just saw it as a fantastic snow day that could very well turn into a blizzard, not thinking of how it translates to classes in the summer.

But Helga saw none of this. All she could see was that merry sprite who gave her flowers. She barely noticed when Benny pulled her up their steps to the apartment; it was only when she just about walked into the door that her head started to clear. Before she opened it, though, she could hear music coming from inside. The bass to an ABBA song seeped from beneath the wood, and Helga decided it would be a better idea if she braved the cold just a bit longer – at least until the song was over. As the chanting of _take a chance_ faded away, Helga opened the door, narrowly avoiding Benny as he rushed past her legs and nearly knocked her off her feet.

Lauren was kick box dancing in the kitchen as Kung Fu Fighting blasted out of the little countertop stereo. Helga had to admit that her friend and roommate was pretty good as she spun and kicked and punched, even throwing in a few break dancing moves. She sang along terribly off key, and started impersonating either Jackie Chan or Bruce Lee, or maybe even Jet Li – Helga wasn't quite sure which.

As the music faded, Lauren's repeat of _everybody was kung fu fightin' (HUH!), those cats were fast as lightenin'(HA!)_ didn't, and when the CD ended, it was as though she didn't realize it.

"They were funky Chinamen, from funky Chinatown!" Helga continued, eliciting a frightful screech from Lauren. The blonde laughed as Lauren sent a glare towards her that was brimming with daggers.

"Ha, ha, ha, very funny Helga." Lauren quipped as she pulled the whistling tea kettle off the stove, pouring the boiling water into her favorite mug. Helga, meanwhile, laughed again as she unclipped Benny from his leash and hopped up onto the counter.

"But really, are you sick or something? It's like Kung Fu ABBA in here – speaking of which, where _is _Jude?" She asked while stealing the mug from her friend's grip – an incandescent image of two outrageously obese cows on swings with the phrase _MOOOOOD SWINGS_ written below them – and found sinister hot chocolate waiting for the first idiot to take a drink and lose their taste buds.

"He's in our room watching Slumdog Millionaire on his laptop. I'm in the mood to irritate him senseless, so I was practicing for my next tournament." Lauren replied while stealing back her mug before Helga could be that idiot.

"You're Kung Fu is good, but long is the road to perfection." Helga informed in her best old Chinaman voice, and Lauren bowed respectfully.

"Hai, Sensei." At Helga's look of disbelief, Lauren slumped her shoulders melodramatically.

"I'm sorry! I don't know any Kung Fu students to copy that aren't steeped in Japanese culture!"

At that moment, Jude emerged from the bedroom, snapping his fingers and shaking his shoulders in what he thought was a rhythmic way.

"_Chimo! Chimo! Chimo! Chimo! _Something something do-da de-de blah-blah blah la-la-la la la, _Chimo! Chimo!_" he sang, losing the tune in the middle, and smiling as the girls watched him with blank faces. After a few seconds of awkward silence, Helga blinked, growing an impish smirk that resembled Jack Frost's.

"Jude, you do know that the words are Jai Ho, not Chimo, don't you?" she asked while Lauren nodded with a giggle, and now it was Jude who watched them blankly. He opened his mouth to speak, but it was a full fifteen seconds before he said anything.

"Oh."

The three of them laughed, but Helga's was short-lived as she turned her gaze towards the snow flowers she had been given. That small bout of normalcy was over as she was reminded of the strange day she was having. He friends noticed her change, and Jude jumped up onto the counter next to her.

"Those are some sick flowers, Helga, where'dya get 'em?" he asked with childlike curiosity as Lauren swooped in with interest. Helga smiled, tracing the lines of the petals on what seemed to be a rose.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." she muttered, and Lauren marveled at them while rising her eyebrows.

"Helga, I'm dating Jude McDaniels, I'll believe anything you tell me. So, who gave them to you?" she affirmed, and Helga had to laugh softly at the jab, although Jude was too enwrapped with the flowers to notice his girlfriend's words.

"Alright, but you guys won't believe me. I got the flowers from Jack Frost." Her friends looked at her, almost suspicious, almost disbelieving. Almost.

"You mean Jack Frost as in . . . Jack Frost?" was all Jude could articulate, and both women laughed.

"Helga, Jack Frost is just the personification -" Lauren started, only to be cut off by Helga.

"Personification of winter weather by ancient Europeans without our educational system or meteorologists, I know. By guys, I swear that he was real, is real. I've seen him, spoke with him, touched his hand. Believe me, he's real. And what's more, I think he wants to date me." she finished, and Lauren examined the flowers while Jude just looked lost.

"Hence the flowers." Lauren determined, receiving Helga's nod for conformation.

"What about Arnold?" Jude finally managed out, and Helga groaned while setting the flowers on the counter.

"Crap, I forgot about Football Head. This is beyond weird, even for him." Helga bemoaned, and as Lauren comforted her friend, Jude reached over and stole his girlfriend's mug. Taking a large drink, he was momentarily frozen before his eyes started to water and his face turned red.

Sinister Hot Chocolate: 1; Idiot: 0.

HA


End file.
